We arrived in Sevastapol at 7am on 1st May (Mayday) 2009 and went ashore at 10.00am. The immediate impression was that this was still very much in the mould of "Sovietism". Of course it is still the home of the supposedly once vaunted Russian Black Sea Fleet, rusting remnants of which were visible close to us. At 0900 all the Russian warships dressed themselves overall, whilst outside the dockyard came the loud noise of blaring Mayday demonstrations. Russian uniforms and medals were much in evidence and there is little doubt that the entire place still lives in the memory of the USSR. The place and indeed the people we saw were not at all friendly, very surly and most unwelcoming, a stark contrast to the previous day in Yalta.